The Trouble WIth Life
by Relatively Unknown
Summary: *THIS STORY IS FINISHED!* Lance drops out of school and gets a job, and takes on the resposibility of raising four teenagers.
1. Leaving

A/N: I'm not sure where I got this idea. Blame the voices that talk to me. *looks back and forth, laughing maniacally* Unlike most ppl, I got three! Heh heh, gets crowded sometimes.... *blinks, sighs, and wonders off*  
  
  
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Have you ever been so weary, so tired, that you just want to collapse? Have you ever felt that mind couldn't handle anything more to go wrong? I do. Every day. You try living with four wild teenagers who would rather do nothing more than create havoc. It gets to a person sometimes.   
  
  
But it wasn't just that. We were getting short on cash, badly. We were basically living on whatever Tabby and Todd stole, and that wasn't much. It seemed that we'd no sooner get hundred bucks before it was gone. That's why today was my last day at school.   
  
  
I walked into the office, and sat down to wait for the principal do get done with whatever he was doing. The secretary kept glancing at me, why I did not know. Nor did I care. I leaned back against the wall, and closed my eyes for a few seconds. I hadn't told anyone that I was doing this. I didn't need the others opinions, nor did I want them. I heard a door opening, and opened my eyes. The principal motioned for me to come inside his office. I did.  
  
  
"I have already did the paperwork, you just need to sign at the bottom." Principal Kelly said when I sat down across from his desk. I leaned over, took the pen he offered, and signed my name. "If you should ever like to return, you may ask the school board to let you back in."  
  
  
"I don't think that's going to happen." I said, sighing. "Is there anything else?"  
  
  
"Have you cleaned out your locker?" He asked.  
  
  
"No, not yet."  
  
  
"Then do so. Other than that, no, there is nothing else." He stood up, and held out his hand. I shook it, then left.  
  
  
As I went to my locker, the bell rang. I expected to see Todd or Freddy (Pietro and Tabby had skipped, since it was a Friday), but they weren't in sight. I was glad of that. I really didn't feeling like explaining anything right now. As I messed with the combination, I heard a voice behind me that made me stiffen. I turned around and saw Kitty with some of her friends. I quickly turned back to my locker and opened it. I began stuffing junk into my book bag, stacking the books beside it. I felt somebody tap me on the shoulder. I knew who it was.  
  
  
"Lance, what are you doing?" She asked me. I shut my locker and turned to her.  
  
  
"I'm gone Kitty." I told her, picking up my book bag and books. I walked away from her, stopped at the office to drop off my books, and left the school.  
  
  
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I didn't tell anyone what I had done until Sunday night. They said nothing, just looked at each other. Then I told them some things were going to change around here. At that they complained, but I didn't move an inch.   
  
  
"Now listen up!" I yelled at them, to shut them up. I continued in a quieter, but not less forceful tone. "From now on, everyone goes to school everyday, unless there is a good reason not too, and no, the X-Freaks don't count. Ya'll will do your homework, and if you're stuck, ask me or Pietro, got it? There will be no extra spending money on things that we don't need, and that includes movies, clothes, and music. I don't give a damn what you do on the weekends, but none of you, I repeat, none of you will do any drugs of any sort, or I will stomp a mudhole in your ass and walk it dry, is this and everything else understood?"  
  
  
A few muttered "yeah's" came from them. "I know ya don't like this, and probably hate me, but I don't care. If ya haven't noticed, we're starving to death among other things, and if I don't do something about it, no one will. Mystique and Magneto have abandoned us, and I don't know if they're ever coming back. So we are going to the best we can, and that means following the rules. Please guys, I can't do this alone."   
  
  
"We're with ya Rocky." Tabby said. I nodded and started up the stairs.  
  
  
"I'm going to bed. I suggest you do the same. Ya'll got school tomorrow."  
  
  
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I got up at six the next morning, because although I didn't need to be at work until eight, I didn't feel like fighting with the others over the use of the bathroom. After my shower I went downstairs, made some coffee, and started adding up the bills. At seven I got the others up and went back downstairs. Pietro was the first one done, as usual, and came downstairs for breakfast.  
  
  
"How bad is it?" He asked, truly sincere.  
  
  
"Bad. Very bad. This week's paycheck is going directly to the electric and water bills, with not a cent left over. Whatever food we have left has got to last us at least two weeks." I told him.  
  
  
"Todd can steal some more money." Pietro suggested, fixing himself a bowl of cereal.  
  
  
"I don't want any of you guys stealing, got it? I don't care how bad it looks or actually is, no stealing."   
  
  
"If you say so. I can drop out of school too and he--" I cut him off.  
  
  
"No. All of you are going to finish school if it's the last thing I do. You're not old enough to drop out without a guardian's signature, and I'm not signing anything."  
  
  
"An after school job?" He asked me. The others wondered in right about then.  
  
  
"Look, I can handle this, you guys don't worry about it, okay? Just leave it to me, and fix everything, alright?" Pietro nodded, since he was the only one paying any attention to me. I glance at the clock. Seven-fifteen. "Hurry up, I'll drop ya'll off at school since it's on my way to work."  
  
  
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I pulled into the school, and parked for a few minutes in my old parking space. The others climbed out and left without a word. I started to leave when a voice called out to me. Summers, the idiot.   
  
  
"Hey Alvers, you skippin' again?" He said, all snotty.  
  
  
"Drop dead, Summers. I gotta get to work." I pulled out and left him standing there, confused. Like hell I was going to explain myself to him or any of the other X-Freaks. My life wasn't any of their business.  
  
  
I had gotten a job as a construction worker over in the city. The city was growing bigger everyday, so I would have a job for a little while at least. It didn't pay jack shit, but it was the best I could get on short notice. I didn't care what I was doing, as long as I had some money coming in to pay for things. That was all that mattered. 


	2. Fighting Back

A/N: Nothing except plz R/R!!!!!   
  
  
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I arrived at the construction site five to eight. I parked the jeep and went into the office. I asked for Mr. Callor, the supervisor. The receptionist told me that he was busy at the moment, but would be done shortly. And sure enough, a few minutes later, he came out with some other older guy. I stood up, and he saw me.  
  
  
"Ah, Mr. Alvers, this is Mr. Youngblood, he'll be showing you the ropes." I shook hands with the man, and smiled at him. "It seems the day has started, so I'll let you two get to work." He left and returned to his office.  
  
  
"So, Mr. Youngblood, what do I need to know?" I asked him as we left the office.  
  
  
"First off, call me Murray, none of this Mr. Youngblood shit, ya got that?" I nodded and smiled. "Now, what's you're name?"  
  
  
"Lance. Lance Alvers." I told him.  
  
  
"Well now Lance, may I ask why you're doing this? Because if you don't have a solid reason, you ain't gonna last long." Murray told me.  
  
  
"I need money. I don't care what I have to do to get it." I told him the truth.  
  
  
"You're what, 18? Why do you have to worry about money?" We arrived at a the equipment shed, and he handed me a hard hat.  
  
  
"I'm 19, and I need the money for...." I didn't want to tell him that I needed it because I was raising four teenagers. He might call social services or something. "Something."  
  
  
"Well, whatever it is, you better want it bad to take this job. You saw how much they pay us."  
  
  
"It's better than nothing." I told him. He smiled.  
  
  
"I think you and me are going to get along."   
  
  
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The work was hard. At the end of my shift, my back was so sore I could barely drive. I had to hurry over to the school and pick the others up. I turned my favorite radio station, 96.7 QCM, to pass the time. The mix of old and new rock helped me calm down and relax some. I was going to need it, if I was to be doing this six days a week.  
  
  
I arrived just as the last bell rang, releasing all the kids from the school. I pulled into the parking lot, and noticed my usual place was taken, so I parked near the door. I wasn't supposed to, but I didn't give a damn. I mentally dared any teacher to come over tell me not to park here. None came. I smiled inwardly. The jeep rocked as Freddy climbed in, followed by Pietro and Tabby.  
  
  
"Where's Todd?" I asked them.  
  
  
"Dunno, he was right behind us." Tabby said. I sighed, climbed out, and walked into the school. I spotted Todd getting bullied by Duncan and his friends. I started to head over there, when they walked off, leaving Todd in a heap on the floor. Todd stood up and noticed me. He gave me a glare and walked by me, heading outside. I followed, climbed into the drivers seat, and went home.  
  
  
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The next day went pretty much the same, and the next. Then on Thursday, I had to go and get Todd from the nurse's office. Duncan had beaten him up again. Todd refused to talk about it, or anything for that matter. I tried pressing him to talk, but he just became more stubborn, so I backed off. Nothing happened on Friday, or at least no one told me anything. But I knew something was going on. Every day Todd was limping, or had a black, or a bloody nose. The others either didn't notice, or didn't care. Probably both. Not like there was much they could do that they hadn't already. Pietro's told them to back off, Tabby's bombed their lockers, and Fred's intimidated them. But nothing has worked. I knew I had to try something.  
  
  
And so, over the weekend, I came up with an idea. At night after work I would teach him how to fight back. And not just with fists either. I'd teach him how out wit them. It wouldn't be too hard, Duncan and his gang weren't exactly on the list of intelligent people. I waited until I could catch Todd alone. I'm sure he didn't want to talk about it in front of the others, whether they cared or not. Finally, on Sunday afternoon, I caught my chance.  
  
  
"Hey." I said to him. We were on the back porch. Todd was sitting on the porch swing, staring out at the field behind the house.  
  
  
"Hey." He replied. I sat down beside him, and the swing began to creak dangerously. I jumped up and sat on the railing, which also creaked, but nothing more than normal.  
  
  
"I want to talk to you about Duncan and the others." He glanced up at me, then looked away again.  
  
  
"There's nothing to say."   
  
  
"Yeah there is. If you'll let me, I'll teach you how to fight back." I told him.  
  
  
"I don't want to talk about it!" He shouted, and hopped to the other side of the porch. I started to follow him, but then stopped.   
  
  
"Fine. You know where you can find me if you ever want to." I went inside and turned TV on. A few minutes later he came in and sat down beside me. I turned the volume down.  
  
  
"My dad used to beat my mom up. It was a constant thing. I used to see it all the time. She wouldn't fight back. She let him do it. He'd beat her bloody, and wouldn't let her go to the hospital. I'd help her clean herself up. Then one day, she told a friend, and the friend told her to stop taking it. To fight back. That night, I watched as my dad begun to beat her again. She started fighting back, which pissed him off even more. He took something, I don't remember what, and hit her over the head with it. I could hear her skull crack. He must've too, because he left. I went over and held her. She died in my arms." I was shocked at this. I knew Todd was orphaned like me, but I didn't know it had happened like that. "Don't you see Lance? I can't fight back. It killed my mom, it'll kill me."  
  
  
"Look at me Todd. Just because you're mom fought back that one time and died, doesn't mean that she wouldn't have down line by not fighting. Don't you want the beatings to stop?"  
  
  
"Yeah, but I'm scared Lance. I'm scared to fight back." He looked at me, and it was obvious. He was truly scared.  
  
  
"I know you are. And I don't blame you. I would be too. But you have to overcome your fear. That's what Duncan and his friends prey on. They know you won't fight back. And it's time that you do. Don't let them walk all over you. Besides, you're a mutant. They ain't. You got the advantage and it's about time you use it." I told him. He said nothing for a minute, then looked at me.  
  
  
"When do we start?"  
  
  
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For the next few weeks I taught Todd everything I knew. And slowly but surely, he received less beatings. And less. Until, for an entire week, he didn't have any. It was good. I was catching up on the bills, and I was getting use to the soreness from work. I was building up muscle too, with was definitely a perk. I should've known it was too good to be true. 


	3. One Funny Miracle

A/N: Um, none really. Oh yeah, sorry about the "yo-less" Todd. I'm not used to writing him. Plz forgive me.  
  
  
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It was a Wednesday when I got the call. It was during lunch break, and the receptionist came over and told me I had a call. I followed her to the office, and took the phone from her desk.  
  
  
"Hello?" I asked.  
  
  
"Lance, it's Tabby. Something's happened. Todd's in the hospital."   
  
  
"What? What happened?"  
  
  
"I don't know. Can you get off from work? We'll wait for you outside the school." She said.  
  
  
"I'll be there in fifteen minutes." I hung the phone up, and turned to the receptionist. "I have to go, tell Mr. Callor I'll explain later."   
  
  
I ran out the door to the jeep. I jumped in, turned the switch, and floored it. I flew down the road at least 20 miles over the speed limit. I arrived at the school without coming across any cops, and with the others in the car, I slowed down some. I arrived at the Bayville hospital ten minutes later. I walked in the lobby, and asked the nurse at the desk about Todd.  
  
  
"Are you a relative?" She asked.   
  
  
"I'm his guardian, now where and how is he?" I said, my impatience showing through.  
  
  
"Room 216, second floor. The doctor should be with him." She replied curtly. I found the elevators and headed upstairs. We found the room. The others went in, while I stayed outside the room with the doctor.  
  
  
"How is he?" I asked.  
  
  
"Well, he has two broken ribs and a sprained ankle. The rest is just minor abrasions. It appears that he was in fight. He was found by a student unconscious in the school parking lot. Would you know anything?" He asked me.  
  
  
"He's gotten beaten up before, just nothing this bad. It's all my fault. I told him to fight back against Duncan, and it was working. I guess he was right. It's no use to." I said quietly.   
  
  
"If you can find somebody who witnessed it, you can press charges." He told me. I shook my head.  
  
  
"It wouldn't do any good. Duncan's a rich kid. And captain of the football team. His dad would probably get him off, either by getting a lawyer or paying any witnesses off." I sighed and sat down. The doctor walked away.  
  
  
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Todd was going to stay in the hospital for a few days. The day after I picked up the others, dropped them off at home, and went to the hospital. Todd was "resting", as the nurses say, when I first got there. I got some food from the cafeteria and then went back upstairs. I ate in silence. A half hour later I heard Todd wake up. He noticed me and muttered a 'hey'.  
  
  
"Hey yourself. Hungry?" I held up a bear claw. He shook his head. "Fine, more for me. Look, I'm sorry about Duncan. It's all my fault. I shouldn't have told you to fight back. You were right all along."  
  
  
"No I wasn't, yo. You should've seen the look on their faces when I did. They started backing off. And last week they avoided me. Until yesterday, yo. They caught me off guard, before I even had a chance to defend myself. It's not your fault. I'll just have to be on my guard from now on, yo." He told me.  
  
  
"Is that any better from before? I don't want you to be on you're guard constantly. That's not right." I said. He just shook his head.   
  
  
"How did your boss like you leaving early?" He asked me after a few minutes.  
  
  
"I told him what happened. He said it was okay, as long as I didn't do it too often. Which, in boss talk, means if I do it again he's gonna fire my ass."   
  
  
"Sorry."   
  
  
"Yeah well, I've been looking for another job. No luck so far." I shrugged. A knock came at the door.  
  
  
"Yeah?" I called out. The doctor came in.   
  
  
"There's someone else to see you." He said to Todd. "I think he has something very important to say." And I'll be damned if Duncan himself didn't walk through the door. I tensed, ready to fight. I glanced at the doctor, and just then noticed his name tag. 'Dr. Matthews'. Wait, that was Duncan's dad?!  
  
  
"What do you want?" Todd said, not concealing his anger any.  
  
  
"I came here to.... To apologize. I'm..... I'm.... Sorry." He forced himself to say.  
  
  
"And?" The doc/his dad said.  
  
  
"And neither me nor my friends will ever beat you up again." He said, clearly hating every second of this. I was laughing my head off inside. I could see Todd was taking pleasure in this.  
  
  
"Very good Duncan. Now perhaps you better get home and started on your chores." Duncan looked him, a cross between shock and anger.  
  
  
"But dad! I apologized!"  
  
  
"Duncan. What did I say?" Duncan glanced around at me and Todd, then stormed out the door.  
  
  
"If you'll excuse me." The doc said, leaving.  
  
  
"Sombitch." I said. "Don't see that every day."  
  
  
"Pietro's gonna be pissed when he finds out he missed it, yo!" Todd said, laughing. "Looks like you were right the first time around."  
  
  
"Yeah, for once."  
  
  
"Hey, listen, yo. I want you to know that you're doing a great job raising us. Fred's actually passing most of his classes, yo."  
  
  
"Really? Well I must be doing something wrong if it's only MOST of his classes." I argued.  
  
  
"Lance? Just shut up, yo." 


	4. Fists Don't Talk

A/N: Jup, another chapter. *big grin* I'm gonna torture ya'll til doomsday! *crazy laughter* Okay, time for the story. *wonders off aimlessly singing Smooth Criminal*  
  
  
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Todd was right. Pietro was pissed. He pouted the entire time from when I got home til when we went to bed. I swear, he's beyond me sometimes. He's 17 years old, and acts like he's 5! Todd acting like that sometimes, yeah, I can understand that. Even Freddy. But Pietro? And Tabby, for that matter? Oy.  
  
  
The next day at work was hard. Because I skipped out, Mr. Callor gave me an extra half hour of work, which meant I had no time for lunch. I wasn't at all happy, but I did it and didn't complain. I needed this job since I couldn't find any others. Trust me, I looked. But the work was getting easier from doing it over and over, and I bet anybody who tried to mess with me before wouldn't now. Unless they had Pietro's speed, they'd better watch out. As I was unloading my equipment at the end of the day, Murray came over.  
  
  
"Heard a friend of yours was in the hospital." (I hadn't told him about Todd. He wasn't at work that day, so he hadn't noticed me missing.)  
  
  
"Yeah, I'm picking him up tonight. Got beat up by some jocks. Ain't gonna happen anymore tho', so it's all good." I told him.  
  
  
"Tell him that I said to kick those jocks's asses." He laughed and I smiled.  
  
  
"I will. Gotta go, see ya tomorrow." I said, and went to the jeep. I glanced at my watch and saw that I didn't have time to drop the others off before I had to get to the hospital. Oh well, no biggie.   
  
  
I turned the radio on and cruised down the road to the high school. When I got there, Tabby and Fred came out and told me that Pietro was in trouble. Had gotten detention. I sighed, and asked for what. They, of course, didn't know. I had to get to the hospital, so I figured I'd just ask Pietro when he got home. You can bet he was going to lose some privileges, alright.   
  
  
At the hospital, I picked Todd up without a hitch, and headed home. Once there, I helped Fred with his homework while waiting for Pietro. Todd was in his room, sleeping, and Tabby was watching TV. Around four-thirty a tornado burst into the door and flew upstairs. I followed it up to his room, and knocked on the closed door.  
  
  
"GO AWAY!" I heard him shout. I opened the door, much to his dismay. "Ya know, I'm gonna buy a lock for that door."  
  
  
"And I'll have Tabby blow it open. Now why did you get detention?" He was sitting on his bed, leaning against the backboard, ignoring me. "I can and will go down to the school and ask them. I'm sure their point of view will vary from yours."  
  
  
"I used 'unnecessary violence' in gym. Got wrote up." He muttered.  
  
  
"Fine. For a month you clean the house." It was the best thing I could think of. Sure he could do it in a split second, but it was the thought that mattered.  
  
  
"WHAT?!" He screamed at me. He rushed up and looked me in the eye. "Who the hell do you think you are? My mother?"  
  
  
"No, one of few people person in this world that gives a damn whether you live or die! I quit school so I could take care of you and the others, and you can sure as hell bet that I will." I yelled back.  
  
  
"Well you know what? I don't give a damn about you. You could fall over dead right now, and I wouldn't care. I don't care about any of you. And you can't make me do anything." He growled.  
  
  
"I sure as hell can because believe it or not, I am your legal guardian. Mystique signed me up because she wanted nothing nothing to do with you! So you will clean the house for a month, because you screwed up in school. I ain't gonna give you guys any slack!"  
  
  
"You give Todd slack! You baby him! I don't care if he's the youngest, you act like he's a helpless little kid, when all he is, is a pathetic little being that shouldn't exist!" I don't think he expected what I did next. I punched him square in the face. He fell back, nose bloody and probably broken.  
  
  
"Pietro... I-I didn't mean..... I'm sorry..." He gave me a look that completely threw me. Instead of anger, I saw fear in his eyes. He disappeared in a blast of wind. I ran downstairs after him and out the open front door. "PIETRO!"   
  
  
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"I am such a screw-up. I can't do anything right!" I was wallowing in self-pity, and the others were having nothing of it.  
  
  
"Lance, you doing you're best, and it's sure as hell better than my dad ever did!" Tabby told me. "Listen, Pietro's just not use to having someone take care of him. I know the feeling, trust me. Sorry if I sound like a shrink, but he's testing the limits. C'mon, you did the same thing with your parents, didn't you?"  
  
  
"Foster parents, and no, they didn't care what I did. I guess I'm trying to be what they never were." I had had a headache for an hour now, ever since Pietro disappeared. I knew there was only one thing I could do. I stood up, grabbed my keys, and went to the jeep.  
  
  
"Whatcha doin' Lance?" Fred called from the front door.  
  
  
"I think I know where he is. I'm going after him." I jumped into the jeep and fired it up. I went to the place that Pietro goes when he wants to be alone. The "lookout". It was a cliff that on one side you could see almost all of Bayville, and on the other see the river that further along emptied into the ocean. Sure enough, there he was.  
  
  
I pulled up and turned the engine off. For a few minutes I sat there, hoping he'd come over and get in. But alas, no. I tried to figure out what to say, but my mind was drawing a blank. So finally I just got out of the jeep and walked over and sat down beside him. He didn't move, so I took that as a good sign.  
  
  
"Pietro, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that. Seems I always screw-up somehow." I told him. There was no response at first. Then I heard him sigh.  
  
  
"Lance, you're not the screw-up. I am. I've always managed to make a mess of things some how. Why do think he abandoned me?" He said. I was confused.  
  
  
"Who abandoned you?" I asked.  
  
  
"My father. Don't you know who he is?" I shook my head. "Got a big surprise for you then. Magneto's my father."  
  
  
I was completely in shock. Magneto? Pietro's dad? "Holy shit." I said.  
  
  
"Yeah, I know. But it's true. All of it. He abandoned me, yet again, because I'm fucking screw-up. He blames me for making us lose at Asteroid M. I know he does. So does Mystique. That's why they're gone. And it's all my fault." I had never seen Pietro like this.   
  
  
"Hey, it's not your fault. If it's anybody's, it's mine because I'm the leader! And besides, they out numbered us 2 to 1! Look, maybe it's their fault for getting us into this mess! How did you get into the Brotherhood? Magneto gave you a get of jail free card if you joined. How did I get into it? Mystique bribed me."  
  
  
"I didn't know that. What did she bribe you with?" He asked me.  
  
  
"My powers. She promised if I joined, she'd erase my name from anything that was connected to my old school. Which I leveled."   
  
  
"Maybe you're right. But do I have to clean the house for a month? It was all Daniels's fault! He tried to impale me and I only defended myself!" I somehow seriously doubted this, but because I was such an idiot, I reduced the sentence.  
  
  
"Two weeks. Argue any more and put back to a month!" I said when he started to open his mouth. He grinned instead.  
  
  
"Can I drive the jeep home?" He asked, trying to look all innocent.  
  
  
"NO!" 


	5. Strong Words

A/N: Allo. Ya'll requested more, so I'm gonna write more. Glad ya'll like it. I don't know where I'm gonna go with this, but we'll see, eh? Ah! I'm turning Canadian! *screams* Wait... Wolvie's Canadian..... Ooo, like that idea. Okay, enough yakking on my part and on wit' da story, capeche! PS:: The lyric is from "Blaze Of Glory" by Jon Bon Jovi.  
  
  
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Believe it or not, Pietro did what he had been told. Fred and Tabby were on the phone with Ripley's, that is, until Ripley's hung up on them. Tabby tried to blow the phone up, but I wouldn't let her. She's currently up in her room, pissed off at me. Girls, I tell ya.  
  
  
"Is she still sulking?" I asked Todd after he came back down from checking on her.  
  
  
"Ya better believe it, yo! Her room startin' to look like Freddy's!" He said. Oh boy. Not good. Let me put it this way: you don't go in Freddy's room without a machete, shotgun, and lots of nerve.   
  
  
"Sounds like she's on PMS!" Pietro called from the couch.   
  
  
"And you ain't half the time?" Todd asked him. Pietro responded by throwing a pillow at him. Which he ducked easily. I rolled my eyes, and then heard a knock at the door.   
  
  
"Who the hell be comin' here?" Freddy asked. (He was on the couch beside Pietro.)  
  
  
"Dunno." I told him. I walked to the door and looked out the eye-hole thingy. I was surprised to see Kitty.   
  
  
"Who is it Lance?" Pietro asked.  
  
  
"You guys stay in here. I'll be back in a few minutes." I opened the door and stepped out, barely aware that I only had on my work boots, jeans, and a tank top three sizes too big. (Long story. Don't ask.) "Hey. Whatcha doin' here?"  
  
  
"Um..... I came to talk...." She looked behind me. I turned around to see three sets of eyes peering out the window.   
  
  
"C'mon, let's go for a walk." I headed down the steps and Kitty followed. When we were a considerable distance from the house, I spoke. "What do you want to talk about?"  
  
  
"Like, why aren't you in school? Scott, like, said he saw you skippin' a few weeks ago." She said.  
  
  
"I'm not in school anymore." I told her.  
  
  
"You dropped out? Why?"  
  
  
"Why else? To get a job to take care of them. I don't know if you've noticed or not, but we ain't exactly richies like ya'll." My accent was comin' out. (I'm originally southern. Georgia, to be exact.)  
  
  
"But Lance, you could've come to us." Kitty told me.  
  
  
"Oh yeah. 'Hey Xavier, can we borrow some money? I'm sorry, but the bosses didn't leave us nothin'.' Yeah, I can really see that happening. And besides, you'd just try and convince us to stay." I paused. It hit me. "That's why you're here, ain't it? You're trying to get me to defect, right?"  
  
  
"No! I would never do that!"   
  
  
"Yeah, face it, that's why you're here! Xavier sent ya didn't he? Didn't he? Huh? What no reply? I guess that's a yes, ain't it!" I yelled at here.  
  
  
"No, not at all, I was just wondering...."  
  
  
"Get the hell out of here!" I screamed.  
  
  
"Lance, listen to me--" I cut her off.  
  
  
"No. I'm sick of listening to you and the rest of ya! I'm on my own! We're on our own! So just phase your ass back to that fucking mansion of your's and leave us the hell alone! And here's a message for Xavier: he and the rest of you X-Freaks can go straight to hell for all I care! And that goes for you too, you scrawny little bitch!" I literally saw red. And in that red haze I saw her begin to cry. I shook my head and started walking away, back to the house.  
  
  
"Lance! Avalanche! You don't mean that!" She ran up in front of me. "Tell me you don't mean that!" She was crying. I looked at her.  
  
  
"Get out of my sight." I told her, my voice barely above a whisper. Her eyes went big, and then she ran off down the road. I watched her leave, my heart telling me to run after her, but I held my ground. I thought of a lyric, from a song I didn't remember the title of. 'I've seen love come, I've seen it shot down, I've seen it die in vain.'   
  
  
I stood there for a few minutes, gazing up at the darkening sky. It was getting colder, and the wind was blowing, but I didn't care. I was too numb to feel. I walked slowly back to the house. When I got to the front door, I stopped once again. Sighing I opened it and walked in. I looked at the others, gathered in the living room, looking at me.   
  
  
"Well? What did Kit-Kat want?" Pietro asked me.  
  
  
"Nada." I said quietly. I walked upstairs to my room, and collapsed on the bed. Then I did something I hadn't done in years.  
  
  
I cried. 


	6. The Return

A/N: Hmm.... None at the moment.....  
  
  
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I cried the entire night. I even skipped supper, which made Fred really worry about me. The next morning I put on my best bravado, and acted like nothing had happened. It seemed to satisfy them. Tabby had missed most of it, so she was oblivious to everything. She stopped being mad at me. I think. She might be pulling one of those 'I'm acting nice to ya but on the inside I'm sending mental death threats.' things that girls pull.   
  
  
I didn't say anything at work. Murray kept asking what was wrong, and I kept telling that nothing was. He probably knew I was lying, but backed off after a while. It wasn't until I picked the others up at school that I lost my cool. As they were climbing in, I saw Kitty. I stiffened, not able to take my eyes off of her. She saw me, and just stood there. I swear I saw tears in her eyes as she ran off in the direction of Scott's car. I wanted to call out to her, but I restrained myself. No, I thought. Don't let her get to you. That's what they want. But damn, it was hard.   
  
  
"Hey Lance, we just gonna sit here all day, yo?" Todd called from the back. I started up the jeep and sped out of there as fast as I could.   
  
  
"Jeez, what's up with you, Rocky?" Tabby teased. I said nothing.   
  
  
When we got home I went straight up to my room and turned the radio on, as loud as I could. I wanted to drown out every thought I had. It wasn't working, so I turned it up louder, and louder, til it wouldn't go any further. I could still here my thoughts. It took me a second to realize that someone had turn my radio off. I spun around and saw Tabby.  
  
  
"Seriously, Lance. What's wrong?" She never called me Lance. Never.  
  
  
"Nothing! What do I have to do to prove it to you guys?" I knew I sounded exasperated. And I was.  
  
  
"You're really hung up on her, aren't you?" Tabby said, walking over and sitting down on my bed. She patted the space beside her, and I sat down.  
  
  
"Look, I'll admit, I was once upon a time. But not anymore. I don't have time for that shit." I told her.  
  
  
"Maybe you should make time. I know you're trying to do everything all by yourself, but face it, you can't. You're not Superman, contrary to what you may believe. You're only 19. And you have a big responsibility on you're shoulders. But you're life ain't over. Live a little. You're not ready to be an old man." She hugged me. After a minute I pushed her away.  
  
  
"Too late. I'm already an old man. Maybe not physically, but look in my eyes. I've seen more things and done more things than I should in a thousand lifetimes. I know you're trying to help. And you are in some ways. But leave my life to me. Leave my choices to me." She stood up in anger.  
  
  
"If you never listen to me again, listen to me now. It's never too late. The more you push people away, the harder and harder it's going to get for you. I, of all people, should know."  
  
  
"Get out of my room. NOW!" She left, slamming the door behind her. I didn't want to here that load of bullshit. Not now. Lies, that's all it was. Lies, lies, and more lies. Well you know what? I'm sick of lies. Sick and tired of everything. I'm going to do things my way, because it's the right way, and it's for the best. For everyone.  
  
  
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Tabby refused to speak to me. I didn't care. Why should I? I didn't need to talk to her. Or anyone else for that matter. I just needed to work, bring in the cash, feed, clothe, and send them to school. That's it. And that was all I was going to do. I proved that fact the next night.  
  
  
When I picked the others up, Tabby wasn't with them. I didn't ask where she was. She could find her own damn way home. Probably went back to the X-Freaks, where she could be babied to death. She couldn't handle the hard life. At home, I spoke to no one. Just sat and watched TV.  
  
  
"It's eight, man. Don't ya think Tabby should be home by now?" Fred asked me. I shrugged.  
  
  
"Maybe she is. Anybody check her room, yo?" Todd asked. Fred and Pietro shook their heads. Pietro dashed upstairs, then dashed back down a few seconds later.   
  
  
"I found this." He held up a note. "I'll read it. It's addressed to us. 'Hey, I'm skippin' town. Doubt I'll be back. I want to say goodbye to you all, except that is, for Lance. I don't think he cares. Bye.' It's signed Tabitha."   
  
  
"What she talkin' about? Lance cares, don't ya Lance?" Fred asked me.  
  
  
"And why in the blue hell should I?" I told him. "I'm goin' to bed, I need to get up early." I started up the stairs, but Pietro appeared in front of me.  
  
  
"What do ya mean ya don't care? I thought you were the one of the few who did!"   
  
  
"Are ya deaf? I don't give a damn. I bring the money in. That's all I am to you and everyone else. A source for cash." I tried to push by him, but he got in front of me again. He started to say something when the house shook. Literally shook.   
  
  
"STOP IT LANCE!" Todd yelled from the first floor.  
  
  
"IT AIN'T ME!" I shouted back. And it wasn't. But who and/or what was it?" I soon found out.  
  
  
The door flew open, and the wind roared through the house. Then, in the doorway, stood a figure clothed in shadows. I squinted, to see who it was, then I felt my eyes go wide with amazement at who it was.  
  
  
"I have returned, my followers." The baritone voice said. The wind died down, and stepped forth into the light. I heard Pietro gasp behind me. I stood up, and walked slowly down the stairs, until I faced him.  
  
  
"Welcome back boss." I said, grinning. Yes, he was back. And he would fix everything. He always did. 


	7. The Battle

A/N: Bet ya'll didn't see that one coming! Heh heh, this is where it gets good.  
  
  
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"Ah, my young Avalanche." He said. He always referred to us using our codenames. Even his own son, Pietro. "How is everyone?"   
  
  
I glanced around at the others. "Perhaps there is some tension, but we are fine, boss." I spoke softly, but firmly. It was the way Mystique taught us to speak to him.   
  
  
"Good. Because tonight.... Tonight we take what should be, and will be, ours. Tonight, we attack the mansion." He said, laughing lightly.  
  
  
"But, boss, how? They out number us!" Todd said. I gave him a surprised look. He never spoke to Magneto if he could help it.   
  
  
"Ah, yes, Toad. Well, that may be true, but we have the advantage. Suit up and be back down here in five minutes." He turned and walked back out the door. I started up the stairs, but Pietro was still in front of me.  
  
  
"Lance, what are you doing?" He asked.   
  
  
"Giving leadership back to who it belongs. Tabitha is lucky she isn't here." I pushed by him. "C'mon, you heard him. Suit up."  
  
  
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We were lined up outside the mansion. Mystique had joined us outside our house. She said nothing, just did what she was told. It seemed that these past months Magneto had been either beating sense into her or brainwashing her. If I knew him, he had been doing both.  
  
  
"I spoke of an advantage, and here it is." Using his powers, he picked up a large crate and set it in front of us. "Xavier will be expecting us to attack using only our powers. And it will be that conclusion that will destroy him." The top flew off the crate, revealing some serious power. With that, I mean there lay Uzis, magnums, and APs. "Come on, take your pick my soldiers."  
  
  
I walked up and took an Uzi and loaded it. I had a strange feeling inside, but I ignored it. This was right, wasn't it? This was what had to be done. It's not fair that they had everything, and we had nothing. Life ain't fair, a voice in me argued. I surpressed it. This was right. This is what I worked so hard for. For our survival. This is the only way to survive. A mental picture of Kitty crossed my mind. I shook my head to rid myself of it.  
  
  
"Is something wrong, Avalanche?" Magneto asked me.  
  
  
"No, boss. Nothing's wrong." I looked at the others. "Well? What are you waiting for? Get up here and arm yourself."  
  
  
They glared at me, but did so. Pietro kept giving me looks of disappointment. I showed no emotion on my face. Or tried to. I had to believe that this was the right way. This was the only way. Xavier wanted us? Well, he was going to get us.  
  
  
"Ready when you are." I told Magneto. I knew he was smiling. It made me sick to my stomach. I was having doubts! Not now, not now! I screamed at myself. This is for the best! Magneto wouldn't be doing it otherwise, right? I had no answer to that. I pushed all and every thought away from my mind. I didn't need to worry about that right now. I wasn't in the lead. It wasn't my place to question the leader.   
  
  
"Quicksilver! Get inside, find the control room, and disable the alarms." Magneto ordered. Pietro nodded, and with a quick glance to me, disappeared in blur.  
  
  
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Pietro had been successful. We were currently advancing across the front lawn. I led the way inside, and up the stairs. I signaled for Pietro and Fred to go left. Mystique would wait in the middle if there was any trouble. Todd and I would go to the left. As I crept up to the first door, I listened for any signs of anyone being awake. I opened the door, and looked in. Hmm.... Summers.   
  
  
I nodded to Todd, signaling him to get ready to slime. I kicked the end of his bed, waking him up. I saw him sit straight up, and look at me, fear etched on his face. I can't remember if I felt good or bad about that. Or if I felt anything at all. All I know is that I told Todd to attack, and he slimed Summers. I took out some rope I had with me and tied him up. We took him out to where Mystique was, then went back and repeated the process til everyone on that side of the hall was done. Pietro and Fred finished at the same time we did. Mystique had to hold a gun to Logan's head to keep him from doing anything.   
  
  
"Now that you are all awake, I think it is time to proclaim you defeated, and myself the victor." Magneto stated. He turned all of the lights on, so they could see who defeated them.   
  
  
"Magnus, what are you doing?" The Professor asked from his wheelchair.  
  
  
"Isn't it obvious Charles? I am gaining revenge. My revenge on you." Wait, is this all he wanted. His revenge? I thought.... I thought there was a reason behind this. I thought we were showing them that we were dominant. But... revenge? "Now, my soldiers, let's finish this. Kill them."  
  
  
  
"WHAT?!" I heard a voice cry out. It had been Kitty. She looked at me. I was bound to Magneto to do what he ordered. And yet.... I knew it was wrong. All of this.... it was wrong. Had I been so relieved to pass the responsibility off to him that I was blind to what he was doing? To what we were doing?  
  
  
"You heard me, kill them. Now!" He shouted. I looked at him, then at the gun in my hand. Glancing at the others, I could see them waiting for me to do something. Why? I wasn't the leader. ~Avalanche, listen to yourself. You know the answer.~  
  
  
"GET FUCK OUT OF MY HEAD!" I shouted at the Prof. I pointed the gun at him. I started to squeeze the trigger...   
  
  
"KILL THEM! THEY ARE NOTHING! PUT THEM OUT OF THEIR MISERY!" Magneto screamed at us.   
  
  
I tried to pull the trigger, but I couldn't. The Prof. came to me again. ~Avalanche. Lance. Trust yourself. Only you can decide. Look at the others. They are trusting you to do the right thing. Will you?~ I didn't know. What was the right thing? WHAT?!  
  
  
Then I knew. I lowered the gun. Turning, I threw the gun down the stairs. "Fight your own damn war Magneto." The Prof. nodded his approval. I saw as Todd, Fred, and Pietro threw their own guns down. I began to untie everyone, starting with Kitty, who was the closest to me.   
  
  
I felt the mansion rumble and shake as Magneto took control of everything that was metal. I looked up in time to see the ceiling come crashing down. 


	8. The End and the Beginning

A/N: Why is it that my stories seem to get out of hand? Jeez.  
  
  
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I crouched down, waiting for the end, when I heard the telltale sign of Summers's optic lasers. Dust floated around me, and I glanced at him, but he was busy untying everyone. I joined him and soon everyone was free.   
  
  
"We have to get outside!" Someone shouted.   
  
  
"How?!" Another voice replied. I found it to be my own.  
  
  
"Kurt, how many can you teleport at once?" The first voice said. I think it was Jean's.  
  
  
"Two at most!" He responded, dodging pieces of falling ceiling.   
  
  
"I can phase some people down!" Kitty said.  
  
  
"I can get everyone else! Now we need to get to a door or window!" Jean shouted.  
  
  
"One door, coming up!" I focused my power on the wall at the end of the hallway. I saw it tremble, then break away. A headache was pounding around in my head, but I ignored it. I helped everyone to the "door". Jean floated herself and the Prof out first, Logan jumped since any injury would heal itself almost instantly, Kurt teleported himself, Evan, and Todd out. Pietro ran down the side of the building with Rogue in tow. Storm floated herself out, which left only me and Summers. "You first!" I told him. I didn't give him a chance to argue. I pushed him off the edge, and watched as he was floated down by Jean.  
  
  
"Lance, c'mon!" Todd yelled up to me. I glanced back to the house.   
  
  
"Get out of here!" I shouted to them. I ran back down the hallway, to the top of the stairs. Magneto was hovering in the air, letting his fury overcome his entire body. The house shook with violence. "MAGNETO!"   
  
  
He turned to me. I felt the floor beneath me bend and twist. Some more of the ceiling broke away. I dodged the pieces as best as I could, but one hit my arm, leaving a deep gash. I fell to my knees, but only for a second.   
  
  
"STOP IT! YOU'RE GONNA KILL US BOTH!" I shouted to him. He made no response, just turned the violent rumbling up a notch. "Fine. Time to fight fire with fire!"   
  
  
I held nothing back. I tore open the earth below us. The entire front half of the floor fell into the dark abyss. I increased my focus to the rest of it. I drew forth every ounce of strength I had. I ripped the hole even bigger. I felt the entire house being swallowed up by the earth. And that's the last thing I remember.  
  
  
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"NO!!!!" Kitty cried out as the ground rose up and covered the mansion. It pushed it down into itself, in the end, leaving nothing but a flat field. Kitty dropped down and began crying as an eerie silence echoed over the land.  
  
  
Everyone stood there, stunned. No one spoke a single word. Even the Professor could not believe what he had just seen. Then, slowly, everyone began walking over to where the mansion had stood. There was not a sign left that the mansion had ever been there.   
  
  
"He's.... He's.... He's gone, isn't he?" Fred asked, to no one in particular.   
  
  
"Yes." Pietro said, so quietly and slowly that it was hard to believe he said it. "He did it to save us."  
  
  
"No! He can't be gone! He's alive! I know it! He's alive!" Kitty kept crying. Storm comforted her. He couldn't be alive. It was impossible. No one could survive that.  
  
  
Everyone bowed their heads in grief. Lance had done the ultimate sacrifice for them. He was truly a hero. Then, just as Kitty's sobs were subsiding, Rogue heard a small noise. It sounded like it was coming from below them.  
  
  
"Ya'll here that?" She asked.   
  
  
"Rogue, don't." Jean said.  
  
  
"But I hear it! Listen!" Everyone listened, and found that they heard it too. It was steadily growing louder! What was it?  
  
  
And then, before them all, the ground opened up once again. This time, though, it was small. And up from the ground rose a figure. It was the limp form of Lance. When he was above the ground, the earth closed below him. He fell with a thud. Kitty jumped up and ran to him. She slowly picked up his head and rested it in her lap.  
  
  
"Lance? Lance wake up. Please wake up!" She begged him. He made no movement. Kitty held him close, and began crying again.  
  
  
"Kitty... Don't cry...." Kitty looked back to his face, and saw that his eyes were open.   
  
  
"Lance! You're alive!" She said, pulling him close to her.  
  
  
"Ow, ow! Yeah, barely...." He said, a small smile on his face. "What... What happened?"  
  
  
"What happened?!" Pietro yelled. He started talking so fast that no one could understand him.  
  
  
"Quix, shut up okay? Anybody.... Anybody else care to explain? Preferably slow." Lance was still groggy, and he ached all over.  
  
  
"You ran back into the mansion, and then the earth literally came up and swallowed it. And you. And..." Scott trailed off.  
  
  
"Magneto." Todd said. "We thought you were dead. How... How did you survive?"  
  
  
"Uh....."  
  
  
"I think that is enough questions for right now. Lance needs his rest, and frankly, so do we." The Professor said. "But I don't know-"  
  
  
"Ya'll can come to our house." Freddy said, subtle as usual.  
  
  
"There's no where else to go." Kurt said. Evan agreed.  
  
  
"He's right ya know." The Professor nodded.   
  
  
"Alright. Let us go."  
  
  
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I opened my eyes to some bright light, which didn't help the headache I had any. I quickly shut my eyes and rolled over, falling onto the floor. Confused as hell, I picked myself up as best as I could.   
  
  
"You're awake." Someone said. I sat down on the couch (it was what I had fallen off of) and saw Kitty sitting on the chair across from me. She stood up and walked over, sitting down beside me. "Like, how do ya feel?"  
  
  
"Like a mansion crashed down on me." I said, my memories blurring together. "Wait... That happened...." Kitty laughed.  
  
  
"Yeah, it did. And, like, it was you who did it. But you, like, saved us. All of us." She looked at me, a grateful look on her face. "You're a hero Lance."  
  
  
"Me?" I said, disbelief in my voice. "But I ain't--" Kitty's mouth on my own stopped me. I gladly responded. When we broke I looked at her and smiled.  
  
  
"Ah, ain't it sweet." A voice said. A voice I knew. My shoulders fell. Without turning around I replied.  
  
  
"Don't you ever go away and just stay away?"   
  
  
"Are you kidding? Miss all the fun, which I did! I don't think so. You're stuck with me, Rocky." Tabby said.  
  
  
"Rocky?" Kitty said, confused.  
  
  
"Looooong story." I told her. "When did you get back Boom Boom?"  
  
  
"Few days ago. Wolvie and Storm came and got me. The Prof. found me a few hours from here in an abandoned warehouse."  
  
  
"Wait, a few days ago?"   
  
  
"Yeah, like, you've been out for almost a week and a half. You were, like, barely alive when we got you here." Kitty told me.   
  
  
"A week and a half?! Holy shit." I said.   
  
  
"Yeah, that's what I was thinking." Tabby said.  
  
  
"Where is everyone?" I asked them.  
  
  
"Well, the Professor, Logan, Scott, and Jean are at the, uh, old site planning a new mansion, where all, and like, I mean all of us, are going to live. Evan, Rogue, Kurt, Storm, Fred, Pietro, and Todd are, like, shopping for new clothes and things." She explained.  
  
  
"Somebody's shopping and you're not there, Tabby? Call Ripley's Kitty, a miracle has happened."   
  
  
"Remember what happened last time?"   
  
  
"Right. Scratch that." Tabby and I laughed, Kitty giving both of us a strange look. "Another story. Hey, ya know, if you need some construction workers, I know where you can get some. And if you pay them half-decent, they'll keep their mouths shut about whatever you want them to. Trust me, I know. I'm one of them."  
  
  
"Oh, so, like, that's where you got all those rippling muscles?" I flexed them for her. Tabby pretended to gag herself.  
  
  
"I think I'll go to the mall and see how the others are doing." She got up and started to leave. She then turned and grinned. "Try not to get her, okay?"   
  
  
"Oh you are dead! Do you hear me?! You're gonna clean the house for a month!" She just laughed and walked away. If we, and by that I mean the X-Men and us, didn't kill each other it would be a miracle.  
  
  
"Get me? What does she mean by that?" I looked at Kitty and started laughing. Then it dawned on her.   
  
  
"Where is she! I'm gonna kill you Tabitha!" Kitty got up and followed her out the door. I stretched out on the couch, laughing.   
  
  
I stopped after a while and laid there, staring at the ceiling. Strange how things came full circle in just a matter of months. I remembered telling Pietro that I was a screw-up. I wasn't. I was just a kid trying to do everything. Then, when a chance for me to back down from my responsibility came, I grabbed at it without a second thought. And it nearly destroyed me and the others. In that one moment when I knew what to do, I knew more than I had ever before in my life. I knew that I was leader, and that there was responsibility that came with it. But I also knew that I wasn't alone in my responsibility. I had my friends. And that was more important to me than anything else. That was why I stood up to Magneto. I knew that if I continued to do what I was doing, I would be just like him. And I didn't want that. I didn't want anyone to ever experience that feeling. That was why I ran back down the hall. That was why I brought the mansion down. To destroy the cause of all the pain, suffering, and anger that I had felt. I didn't want him to do that to anyone else. I couldn't let him.   
  
  
And now, here I am, together with my former enemies. Then again, they were only my enemies because of Magneto made us do. Magneto and... MYSTIQUE! No one had mentioned her! Did she die with Magneto? She wasn't in the mansion when I unleashed my power, I was sure of it! Then what happened to her? She must've escaped somehow! I stood up and went over to a window that faced the back. She was out there... somewhere.... Waiting. Waiting for something to happen. I could feel it in my bones. But what? And when?   
  
  
Whatever and whenever that was, I would be ready. We all would. I'd make sure of that. It seems that my responsibility still weighed heavily on me. But this time... This time I had friends to help bear that burden. And I knew they would. But I would be damned if their half out weighed mine. I would rise up to it, and deal with it. Because life wasn't going to get any easier. If anything it would get harder. But I was ready for it. I smiled.  
  
  
Bring it on life. Bring it on. 


End file.
